Pardon push for Dakota named Chaska revives 1862 conflict
By Tim Krohn
The Mankato Free Press
A wrongly executed Dakota Indian is giving traction to what hasn’t been accomplished in 148 years — bringing international attention to the grim piece of American history that unfolded on the plains of south-central Minnesota.
The short, but bloody battles between Dakota (Sioux) Indians and the U.S. military and settlers in 1862 was one of the biggest — and in many ways most tragic — conflicts with the Indians during Americans’ westward expansion.
The conflict ended with 38 Dakota hanged on Dec. 26, 1862 in Mankato — the nation’s largest mass execution.
Still, the events remain mostly a footnote in history, with many people living here fully unaware of events.
“I have students in my class at MSU who grew up in Mankato who never heard of this,” said Gwen Westerman, a professor of English and a member of the Dakota.
(Continued here.)
The Mankato Free Press
A wrongly executed Dakota Indian is giving traction to what hasn’t been accomplished in 148 years — bringing international attention to the grim piece of American history that unfolded on the plains of south-central Minnesota.
The short, but bloody battles between Dakota (Sioux) Indians and the U.S. military and settlers in 1862 was one of the biggest — and in many ways most tragic — conflicts with the Indians during Americans’ westward expansion.
The conflict ended with 38 Dakota hanged on Dec. 26, 1862 in Mankato — the nation’s largest mass execution.
Still, the events remain mostly a footnote in history, with many people living here fully unaware of events.
“I have students in my class at MSU who grew up in Mankato who never heard of this,” said Gwen Westerman, a professor of English and a member of the Dakota.
(Continued here.)
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